1 Ὁ ποιῶν ἔλεος δανειεῖ τῷ πλησιον, καὶ ὁ ἐπισχύων τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τηρεῖ ἐντολάς. 2 Δάνεισον τῷ πλησίον ἐν καιρῷ χρείας αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάλιν ἀπόδος τῷ πλησίον εἰς τὸν καιρόν. 3 Στερέωσον λόγον, καὶ πιστώθητι μετʼ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ εὑρήσεις τὴν χρείαν σου. 4 Πολλοὶ ὡς εὕρεμα ἐνόμισαν δάνος, καὶ παρέσχον πόνον τοῖς βοηθήσασιν αὐτοῖς. 5 Ἕως οὗ λάβῃ, καταφιλήσει χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν χρημάτων τοῦ πλησίον ταπεινώσει φωνήν· καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἀποδόσεως παρελκύσει χρόνον, καὶ ἀποδώσει λόγους ἀκηδίας, καὶ τὸν καιρὸν αἰτιάσεται. 6 Ἐὰν ἰσχύσῃ, μόλις κομίσεται τὸ ἥμισυ, καὶ λογιεῖται αὐτὸ ὡς εὕρεμα· εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἀπεστέρησεν αὐτὸν τῶν χρημάτων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκτήσατο αὐτὸν ἐχθρὸν δωρεάν· κατάρας καὶ λοιδορίας ἀποδώσει αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀντὶ δόξης ἀποδώσει αὐτῷ ἀτιμίαν. 7 Πολλοὶ χάριν πονηρίας ἀπέστρεψαν, ἀποστερηθῆναι δωρεὰν εὐλαβήθησαν. 8 Πλὴν ἐπὶ ταπεινῷ μακροθύμησον, καὶ ἐπʼ ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ παρελκύσῃς αὐτόν· 9 Χάριν ἐντολῆς ἀντιλαβοῦ πένητος, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἔνδειαν αὐτοῦ μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς αὐτὸν κενόν. 10 Ἀπόλεσον ἀργύριον διʼ ἀδελφὸν καὶ φίλον, καὶ μὴ ἰωθήτω ὑπὸ τὸν λίθον εἰς ἀπώλειαν. 11 Θὲς τὸν θησαυρόν σου κατʼ ἐντολὰς ὑψίστου, καὶ λυσιτελήσει σοι μᾶλλον ἢ τὸ χρυσίον. 12 Σύγκλεισον ἐλεημοσύνην ἐν τοῖς ταμείοις σου, καὶ αὕτη ἐξελεῖταί σε ἐκ πάσης κακώσεως. 13 Ὑπὲρ ἀσπίδα κράτους, καὶ ὑπὲρ δόρυ ἀλκῆς κατέναντι ἐχθροῦ πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ σοῦ. 14 Ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς ἐγγυήσεται τὸν πλησίον, καὶ ὁ ἀπολωλεκὼς αἰσχύνην καταλείψει αὐτόν. 15 Χάριτας ἐγγύου μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ, ἔδωκε γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ σοῦ. 16 Ἀγαθὰ ἐγγύου ἀνατρέψει ἁμαρτωλὸς, 17 καὶ ἀχάριστος ἐν διανοίᾳ ἐγκαταλείψει ῥυσάμενον. 18 Ἐγγύη πολλοὺς ἀπώλεσε κατευθύνοντας, καὶ ἐσάλευσεν αὐτοὺς ὡς κῦμα θαλάσσης· ἄνδρας δυνατοὺς ἀπῴκισε, καὶ ἐπλανήθησαν ἐν ἔθνεσιν ἀλλοτρίοις. 19 Ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐμπεσὼν εἰς ἐγγύην, καὶ διώκων ἐργολαβείας ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς κρίσεις. 20 Ἀντιλαβοῦ τοῦ πλησίον κατὰ δύναμίν σου, καὶ πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ μὴ ἐμπέσῃς. 21 Ἀρχὴ ζωῆς ὕδωρ, καὶ ἄρτος, καὶ ἱμάτιον, καὶ οἶκος καλύπτων ἀσχημοσύνην. 22 Κρείσσων βίος πτωχοῦ ὑπὸ σκέπην δοκῶν, ἢ ἐδέσματα λαμπρὰ ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις. 23 Ἐπὶ μικρῷ καὶ μεγάλῳ εὐδοκίαν ἔχε. 24 Ζωὴ πονηρὰ ἐξ οἰκίας εἰς οἰκίαν, καὶ οὗ παροικήσει, οὐκ ἀνοίξει στόμα. 25 Ξενιεῖς καὶ ποτιεῖς εἰς ἀχάριστα, καὶ πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις πικρὰ ἀκούσῃ· 26 πάρελθε πάροικε, κόσμησον τράπεζαν, καὶ εἴτι ἐν τῇ χειρί σου ψώμισόν με· 27 ἔξελθε πάροικε ἀπὸ προσώπου δόξης, ἐπεξένωταί μοι ὁ ἀδελφὸς, χρεία τῆς οἰκίας. 28 Βαρέα ταῦτα ἀνθρώπῳ ἔχοντι φρόνησιν, ἐπιτίμησις οἰκίας καὶ ὀνειδισμὸς δανειστοῦ. ΠΕΡΙ ΤΕΚΝΩΝ.
Sirach · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Sirach 29 Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Notes on this text (1)
- Ezra and Nehemiah form one book (2 Esdras) in this edition; the reader shows them as Ezra 1–10 and Nehemiah 1–13.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Shut up alms in the heart of a poor man, and it shall intercede for thee unto the Lord."
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
It is written, "As water quencheth fire, so alms quencheth sin." Again it is written, "Shut up alms in the heart of a poor man, and it shall make supplication for thee before the Lord." Again it is written, "Hear, O king, my counsel, and redeem thy sins by alms." And many other testimonies of the Divine oracles are there, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
… of the life of this world, in which all men are passing along as strangers, and no one abides here as possessor; but to every man it is said, "Thou hast been refreshed, pass on, go on thy way, give place to the next comer." Or perhaps from an evil "way," that is, from an evil life, some friend of …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)